Method, device and computer storage medium for communication

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods, devices and computer storage media for communication. A method comprises transmitting, from a network device to a terminal device, a set of repetitions of downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling data transmissions from the network device to the terminal device; performing, based on the set of repetitions of the DCI, the data transmissions from the network device to the terminal device; and receiving, from the terminal device, a single feedback signal for the data transmissions. Embodiments of the present disclosure can improve reliability and robustness for Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field oftelecommunication, and in particular, to methods, devices and computerstorage media for communication.

BACKGROUND

In the 3GPP meeting RAN#86, enhancements on the support formulti-Transmission and Reception Point (multi-TRP) deployment have beendiscussed. For example, it has been proposed to identify and specifyfeatures to improve reliability and robustness for channels (such as,Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Uplink SharedChannel (PUSCH) and Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)) other thanPhysical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) using multi-TRP and/ormulti-panel with Release 16 reliability features as a baseline. It hasalso been proposed to identify and specify features to enable inter-cellmulti-TRP operations. It has also been proposed to evaluate and specifyenhancements for simultaneous multi-TRP transmission with multi-panelreception.

In the 3GPP meeting RAN1#98-99, It has been proposed to support PDCCHrepetitions to improve reliability and robustness for the PDCCH. Thatis, a PDCCH signal (such as, downlink control information) can berepeatedly transmitted from a network device to a terminal device morethan once, so as to improve reliability and robustness for the PDCCH.However, no detail about PDCCH repetitions has been discussed orspecified.

SUMMARY

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure providemethods, devices and computer storage media for communication.

In a first aspect, there is provided a method of communication. Themethod comprises transmitting, from a network device to a terminaldevice, a set of repetitions of downlink control information (DCI) forscheduling data transmissions from the network device to the terminaldevice; performing, based on the set of repetitions of the DCI, the datatransmissions from the network device to the terminal device; inresponse to at least one of the data transmissions being decoded by theterminal device, receiving an acknowledgement from the terminal device;and in response to none of the data transmissions being decoded by theterminal device, receiving a negative acknowledgement from the terminaldevice.

In a second aspect, there is provided a method of communication. Themethod comprises receiving, from a network device and at a terminaldevice, a set of repetitions of DCI for scheduling data transmissionsfrom the network device to the terminal device; decoding, based on theset of repetitions of the DCI, the data transmissions from the networkdevice to the terminal device; in response to at least one of the datatransmissions being decoded, transmitting an acknowledgement to thenetwork device; and in response to none of the data transmissions beingdecoded, transmitting a negative acknowledgement to the network device.

In a third aspect, there is provided a method of communication. Themethod comprises transmitting, from a network device to a terminaldevice, a set of repetitions of DCI for scheduling a transmission fromthe terminal device to the network device, wherein each of the set ofrepetitions comprises a same transmission power control (TPC) commandfor power control of the transmission; and decoding the transmissionfrom the terminal device, wherein power of the transmission iscontrolled based on the TPC command comprised in one of the set ofrepetitions.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of communication. Themethod comprises receiving, from a network device and at a terminaldevice, a set of repetitions of DCI for scheduling a transmission fromthe terminal device to the network device, wherein each of the set ofrepetitions comprises a same TPC command for power control of thetransmission; in response to a repetition of the set of repetitionsbeing received, extracting the TPC command from the repetition; andperforming the transmission from the terminal device to the networkdevice while controlling power of the transmission based on theextracted TPC command.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a method of communication. Themethod comprises in response to determining that repetitions of DCI areenabled for scheduling a communication between a network device and aterminal device, incorporating, in each of a set of repetitions of theDCI, information indicating that repetitions of the DCI are enabled forscheduling the communication; transmitting, from the network device tothe terminal device, the set of repetitions of the DCI; and performingthe communication with the terminal device based on the set ofrepetitions of the DCI.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided a method of communication. Themethod comprises detecting, at a terminal device, DCI from a networkdevice for scheduling a communication between the network device and theterminal device; in response to first DCI and second DCI from thenetwork device being detected, determining whether the first DCI and thesecond DCI belong to a set of repetitions for a same physical controlchannel; and in response to determining that the first DCI and thesecond DCI belong to the set of repetitions for the same physicalcontrol channel, performing the communication with the network devicebased on at least one of the set of repetitions.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a network device. The networkdevice comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Thememory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, causethe network device to perform the method according to the first aspectof the present disclosure.

In an eighth aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminaldevice comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Thememory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, causethe terminal device to perform the method according to the second aspectof the present disclosure.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided a network device. The networkdevice comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Thememory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, causethe network device to perform the method according to the third aspectof the present disclosure.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminaldevice comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Thememory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, causethe terminal device to perform the method according to the fourth aspectof the present disclosure.

In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a network device. The networkdevice comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Thememory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, causethe network device to perform the method according to the fifth aspectof the present disclosure.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a terminal device. The terminaldevice comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Thememory stores instructions that when executed by the processor, causethe terminal device to perform the method according to the sixth aspectof the present disclosure.

In a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a computer readable mediumhaving instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed onat least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform themethod according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

In a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a computer readable mediumhaving instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed onat least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform themethod according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

In a fifteenth aspect, there is provided a computer readable mediumhaving instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed onat least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform themethod according to the third aspect of the present disclosure.

In a sixteenth aspect, there is provided a computer readable mediumhaving instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed onat least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform themethod according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure.

In a seventeenth aspect, there is provided a computer readable mediumhaving instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed onat least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform themethod according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure.

In an eighteenth aspect, there is provided a computer readable mediumhaving instructions stored thereon. The instructions, when executed onat least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform themethod according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure.

It is to be understood that the summary section is not intended toidentify key or essential features of embodiments of the presentdisclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will becomeeasily comprehensible through the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Through the more detailed description of some embodiments of the presentdisclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and other objects,features and advantages of the present disclosure will become moreapparent, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrate an example communication network in which embodimentsof the present disclosure can be implemented;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of PDCCH repetitions in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of PDCCH repetitions in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process for communication in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an example method in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of an example method in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is a simplified block diagram of a device that is suitable forimplementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numeralsrepresent the same or similar element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Principle of the present disclosure will now be described with referenceto some example embodiments. It is to be understood that theseembodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and helpthose skilled in the art to understand and implement the presentdisclosure, without suggesting any limitations as to the scope of thedisclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented invarious manners other than the ones described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, alltechnical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning ascommonly understood by one of ordinary skills in the art to which thisdisclosure belongs.

As used herein, the singular forms ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’ are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. The term ‘includes’ and its variants are to be read as openterms that mean ‘includes, but is not limited to.’ The term ‘based on’is to be read as ‘at least in part based on.’ The term ‘someembodiments’ and ‘an embodiment’ are to be read as ‘at least someembodiments.’ The term ‘another embodiment’ is to be read as ‘at leastone other embodiment.’ The terms ‘first,’ and the like may refer todifferent or same objects. Other definitions, explicit and implicit, maybe included below.

In some examples, values, procedures, or apparatus are referred to as‘best,’ ‘lowest,’ ‘highest,’ ‘minimum,’ ‘maximum,’ or the like. It willbe appreciated that such descriptions are intended to indicate that aselection among many used functional alternatives can be made, and suchselections need not be better, smaller, higher, or otherwise preferableto other selections.

FIG. 1 shows an example communication network 100 in which embodimentsof the present disclosure can be implemented. The network 100 includes anetwork device 110 and a terminal device 120 served by the networkdevice 110. The network 100 may provide one or more serving cells 102 toserve the terminal device 120. It is to be understood that the number ofnetwork devices, terminal devices and/or serving cells is only for thepurpose of illustration without suggesting any limitations to thepresent disclosure. The network 100 may include any suitable number ofnetwork devices, terminal devices and/or serving cells adapted forimplementing implementations of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the term “terminal device” refers to any device havingwireless or wired communication capabilities. Examples of the terminaldevice include, but not limited to, user equipment (UE), personalcomputers, desktops, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones,personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, tablets,wearable devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, Internet ofEverything (IoE) devices, machine type communication (MTC) devices,device on vehicle for V2X communication where X means pedestrian,vehicle, or infrastructure/network, or image capture devices such asdigital cameras, gaming devices, music storage and playback appliances,or Internet appliances enabling wireless or wired Internet access andbrowsing and the like. For the purpose of discussion, in the following,some embodiments will be described with reference to UE as an example ofthe terminal device 120.

As used herein, the term ‘network device’ or ‘base station’ (BS) refersto a device which is capable of providing or hosting a cell or coveragewhere terminal devices can communicate. Examples of a network deviceinclude, but not limited to, a Node B (NodeB or NB), an Evolved NodeB(eNodeB or eNB), a next generation NodeB (gNB), a Transmission ReceptionPoint (TRP), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remoteradio head (RRH), a low power node such as a femto node, a pico node,and the like.

In one embodiment, the terminal device 120 may be connected with a firstnetwork device and a second network device (not shown in FIG. 1 ). Oneof the first network device and the second network device may be in amaster node and the other one may be in a secondary node. The firstnetwork device and the second network device may use different radioaccess technologies (RATs). In one embodiment, the first network devicemay be a first RAT device and the second network device may be a secondRAT device. In one embodiment, the first RAT device may be an eNB andthe second RAT device is a gNB. Information related to different RATsmay be transmitted to the terminal device 120 from at least one of thefirst network device and the second network device. In one embodiment,first information may be transmitted to the terminal device 120 from thefirst network device and second information may be transmitted to theterminal device 120 from the second network device directly or via thefirst network device. In one embodiment, information related toconfiguration for the terminal device configured by the second networkdevice may be transmitted from the second network device via the firstnetwork device. Information related to reconfiguration for the terminaldevice configured by the second network device may be transmitted to theterminal device from the second network device directly or via the firstnetwork device. The information may be transmitted via any of thefollowing: Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control(MAC) control element (CE) or DCI.

In the communication network 100 as shown in FIG. 1 , the network device110 can communicate data and control information to the terminal device120 and the terminal device 120 can also communication data and controlinformation to the network device 110. A link from the network device110 to the terminal device 120 is referred to as a downlink (DL), whilea link from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 isreferred to as an uplink (UL).

In some embodiments, for downlink transmissions, the network device 110may transmit control information via a PDCCH and/or transmit data via aPDSCH to the terminal device 120. Additionally, the network device 110may transmit one or more reference signals (RSs) to the terminal device120. The RS transmitted from the network device 110 to the terminaldevice 120 may also referred to as a “DL RS”. Examples of the DL RS mayinclude but are not limited to Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS),Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Sounding ReferenceSignal (SRS), Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), fine time andfrequency Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) and so on.

In some embodiments, for uplink transmissions, the terminal device 120may transmit control information via a PUCCH and/or transmit data via aPUSCH to the network device 110. Additionally, the terminal device 120may transmit one or more RSs to the network device 110. The RStransmitted from the terminal device 120 to the network device 110 mayalso referred to as a “UL RS”. Examples of the UL RS may include but arenot limited to DMRS, CSI-RS, SRS, PTRS, fine time and frequency TRS andso on.

The communications in the network 100 may conform to any suitablestandards including, but not limited to, Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Evolution,LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA),Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), GSM EDGE Radio Access Network(GERAN), Machine Type Communication (MTC) and the like. Furthermore, thecommunications may be performed according to any generationcommunication protocols either currently known or to be developed in thefuture. Examples of the communication protocols include, but not limitedto, the first generation (1G), the second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G,the third generation (3G), the fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, the fifthgeneration (5G) communication protocols.

As described above, in the 3GPP meeting RAN1#98-99, It has been proposedto support PDCCH repetitions to improve reliability and robustness forthe PDCCH. That is, a PDCCH signal (such as, downlink controlinformation) can be repeatedly transmitted from a network device (suchas, the network device 110) to a terminal device (such as, the terminaldevice 120) more than once, so as to improve reliability and robustnessfor the PDCCH. However, no detail about PDCCH repetitions has beendiscussed or specified.

In some scenarios, multiple PDCCH repetitions may schedule multiplePDSCH transmissions from a terminal device (such as, the terminal device120) to a network device (such as, the network device 110).Traditionally, the terminal device may decode each of the multiple PDSCHtransmissions and feedback, to the network device, an acknowledgement(ACK) or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) for each of the multiplePDSCH transmissions. However, if the multiple PDSCH transmissions arerelated to same data or a same transport block (TB), respective ACK/NACKfeedback signals for the multiple PDSCH transmissions may beunnecessary.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution to solve theabove problem and/or one or more of other potential problems. In thissolution, in case that multiple PDCCH repetitions are enabled forscheduling one or more PDSCH transmissions related to same data or sameTB(s), if at least one of the one or more PDSCH transmissions aredecoded by the terminal device successfully, the terminal device mayfeedback only one ACK to the network device. Only if none of the one ormore PDSCH transmissions is decoded by the terminal device successfully,the terminal device may feedback a NACK to the network device.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of such embodiments. As shown in FIG. 2 ,in response to PDCCH repetitions being enabled, the network device 110may transmit a set of PDCCH repetitions (that is, repeated DCI) 210 and220 to the terminal device 120, for scheduling data transmissions 230and 240 from the network device 110 to the terminal device 120.

In some embodiments, prior to transmitting the set of PDCCH repetitions210 and 220, the network device 110 may transmit, to the terminal device120, an indication that PDCCH repetitions are enabled for scheduling thedata transmissions 230 and 240. For example, the indication may betransmitted from the network device 110 to the terminal device 120 viaany of the following: Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, MediumAccess Control (MAC) control element (CE) and DCI. Alternatively, inother embodiments, the network device 110 may not transmit such explicitindication to the terminal device 120 in advance. Instead, the networkdevice 110 may indicate to the terminal device 120 via the set of PDCCHrepetitions 210 and 220 implicitly that PDCCH repetitions are enabledfor scheduling the data transmissions 230 and 240, as will be describedin detail below with reference to FIGS. 8-11 . That is, in response toreceiving the DCI 210 and the DCI 220 from the network device 110, theterminal device 120 may determine whether the DCI 210 and the DCI 220are repeated DCI. In response to the terminal device 120 determiningthat the DCI 210 and the DCI 220 are repeated DCI, the terminal device120 may determine that PDCCH repetitions are enabled for scheduling thedata transmissions 230 and 240.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2 , the network device 110 may perform the datatransmissions 230 and 240 to the terminal device 120 based on the PDCCHrepetitions 210 and 220. In some embodiments, the data transmissions 230and 240 may be related to same data or same TB(s). In this event, theterminal device 120 may decode the data transmissions 230 and 240 fromthe network device 110, and transmit a single feedback signal to thenetwork device 110 based on the decoding of the data transmissions 230and 240. In some embodiments, in response to at least one of the datatransmissions 230 and 240 being decoded by the terminal device 120successfully, the terminal device 120 may transmit one ACK 250 to thenetwork device. Otherwise, in response to none of the data transmissions230 and 240 being decoded by the terminal device 120, the terminaldevice 120 may transmit a NACK 250 to the network device 110.

Alternatively, in other embodiments, the data transmissions 230 and 240may be related to different data or different TBs. In this event, theterminal device 120 may decode the data transmissions 230 and 240 fromthe network device 110 and provide separate ACK/NCK feedback signals forthe data transmissions 230 and 240 to the network device 110.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 300 in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 can beperformed at the network device 110 as shown in FIG. 1 . It is to beunderstood that the method 300 may include additional blocks not shownand/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited in this regard.

At block 310, the network device 110 transmits, to the terminal device120, a set of repetitions of DCI for scheduling data transmissions fromthe network device 110 to the terminal device 120.

At block 320, the network device 110 performs, based on the set ofrepetitions of the DCI, the data transmissions to the terminal device120.

In some embodiments, the network device 110 may perform the datatransmissions by transmitting, to the terminal device 120, a pluralityof repetitions of data or a plurality of repetitions of a TB.

At block 330, the network device 110 receives, from the terminal device120, a single feedback signal for the data transmissions.

In some embodiments, in response to at least one of the datatransmissions being decoded by the terminal device 120, the networkdevice 110 receives an ACK from the terminal device 120.

In some embodiments, in response to none of the data transmissions beingdecoded by the terminal device 120, the network device 110 receives aNACK from the terminal device 120.

In some embodiments, prior to transmitting the set of repetitions of theDCI, the network device 110 may transmit, to the terminal device 120, anindication that repetitions of the DCI are enabled for scheduling thedata transmissions.

In some embodiments, the indication may be transmitted via any of thefollowing: RRC signaling; MAC CE; and DCI.

In some embodiments, the network device 110 may transmit, via the set ofrepetitions, an indication that repetitions of the DCI are enabled forscheduling the data transmissions.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 400 in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 can beperformed at the terminal device 120 as shown in FIG. 1 . It is to beunderstood that the method 400 may include additional blocks not shownand/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited in this regard.

At block 410, the terminal device 120 receives, from the network device110, a set of repetitions of DCI for scheduling data transmissions fromthe network device 110 to the terminal device 120.

At block 420, the terminal device 120 decodes, based on the set ofrepetitions of the DCI, the data transmissions transmitted from thenetwork device 110 to the terminal device 120.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may decode a plurality ofrepetitions of data or a plurality of repetitions of a transport blocktransmitted from the network device 110 to the terminal device 120.

At block 430, the terminal device 120 transmits, based on the decodingof the data transmissions, a single feedback signal to the networkdevice 110.

In some embodiments, in response to at least one of the datatransmissions being decoded, the terminal device 120 transmits an ACK tothe network device 110.

In some embodiments, in response to none of the data transmissions beingdecoded, the terminal device 120 transmits a NACK to the network device110.

In some embodiments, prior to receiving the set of repetitions of theDCI, the terminal device 120 may receive, from the network device 110,an indication that repetitions of the DCI are enabled for scheduling thedata transmissions.

In some embodiments, the indication may be received via any of thefollowing: RRC signaling; MAC CE; and DCI.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive, via the set ofrepetitions, an indication that repetitions of the DCI are enabled forscheduling the data transmissions.

In some scenarios, in addition to PDSCH transmission(s), multiple PDCCHrepetitions can also schedule a PUSCH transmission, a PUCCHtransmission, a SRS transmission or a Channel State Information (CSI)feedback from a terminal device (such as, the terminal device 120) to anetwork device (such as, the network device 110). Each of the PDCCHrepetitions may comprise a transmission power control (TPC) command forpower control of the PUSCH transmission, the PUCCH transmission, the SRStransmission or the CSI feedback. Traditionally, within a certain timeperiod, TPC command values comprised in the PDCCH repetitions should beaccumulated by the terminal device for power control of the PUSCHtransmission, the PUCCH transmission, the SRS transmission or the CSIfeedback. However, typically, some of the PDCCH repetitions transmittedfrom the network device may not be received by the terminal device dueto poor channel quality. Therefore, the accumulation of TPC commandvalues comprised in the PDCCH repetitions may not be suitable for powercontrol of the scheduled uplink transmission.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution to solve theabove problem and/or one or more of other potential problems. In thissolution, in case that multiple PDCCH repetitions are enabled forscheduling a transmission from the terminal device to the networkdevice, the TPC command comprised in each of the multiple PDCCHrepetitions is the same. In response to a PDCCH repetition from themultiple PDCCH repetitions being received by the terminal device, theterminal device may extract the TPC command from the PDCCH repetitionand perform the transmission to the network device by controlling powerof the transmission based on the extracted TPC command.

In some embodiments, Σ_(m=0) ^(G(D) ^(i) ⁾⁻¹δ_(X,b,f,c)(m,l) is a sum ofTPC command values in a set D_(i) of TPC command values with cardinalityG (D_(i)) that the terminal device receives within a time duration,where X is a corresponding transmission scheduled or triggered by PDCCH.For example, the corresponding transmission may be one of PUSCHtransmissions, PUCCH transmissions and SRS transmissions. The TPCcommand values may be received from PDCCH signals for scheduling ortriggering different PUSCH transmissions, PUCCH transmissions and/or SRStransmissions. In some embodiments, the time duration is betweenK_(X)(i−i₀)−1 symbols before PUSCH, PUCCH or SRS transmission occasioni−i₀ and K_(X)(i) symbols before PUSCH, PUCCH or SRS transmissionoccasion i on an active uplink bandwidth part b of a carrier f of theserving cell c for PUSCH, PUCCH or SRS power control adjustment state 1,where i₀>0 is the smallest integer for which K_(X) (i−i₀) symbols beforePUSCH, PUCCH or SRS transmission occasion i−i₀ is earlier than K_(X)(i)symbols before PUSCH, PUCCH or SRS transmission occasion i. In someembodiments, there may be Q TPC command values received from Q PDCCHsignals (wherein Q is an integer and 1≤Q≤64), and the Q PDCCH signalsmay be used for scheduling or triggering a same PUSCH transmission, asame PUCCH transmission and/or a same SRS transmission. In this case,only one TPC command value is applied to the above formula Σ_(m=0)^(G(D) ^(i) ⁾⁻¹δ_(X,b,f,c)(m,l).

In some embodiments, Σ_(m=0) ^(G(D) ^(i) ⁾⁻¹δ_(X,b,f,c)(m) is a sum ofTPC command values in a set D_(i) of TPC command values with cardinalityG(D_(i)) that the terminal device receives within a time duration, whereX is a corresponding transmission scheduled or triggered by PDCCH. Forexample, the corresponding transmission may be one of PUSCHtransmissions, PUCCH transmissions and SRS transmissions. The TPCcommand values may be received from PDCCH signals for scheduling ortriggering different PUSCH transmissions, PUCCH transmissions and/or SRStransmissions. In some embodiments, the time duration is betweenK_(x)(i−i₀)−1 symbols before PUSCH, PUCCH or SRS transmission occasioni−i₀ and K_(x)(i) symbols before PUSCH, PUCCH or SRS transmissionoccasion i on an active uplink bandwidth part b of a carrier f of theserving cell c for PUSCH, PUCCH or SRS power control adjustment state,where i₀>0 is the smallest integer for which K_(x)(i−i₀) symbols beforePUSCH and/or PUCCH and/or SRS transmission occasion i−i₀ is earlier thanK_(x)(i) symbols before PUSCH, PUCCH or SRS transmission occasion i. Insome embodiments, there may be Q TPC command values received from QPDCCH signals (wherein Q is an integer and 1≤Q≤64), and the Q PDCCHsignals may be used for scheduling or triggering a same PUSCHtransmission, a same PUCCH transmission and/or a same SRS transmission.In this case, only one TPC command value is applied to the above formulaΣ_(m=0) ^(G(D) ^(i) ⁾⁻¹ _(X,b,f,c)(m).

In some embodiments, the network device 110 may configure a number ofPDCCH repetitions to the terminal device 120. For example, the numbermay be L, where L is an integer and 1≤L≤64. For example, L may be atleast one of {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32, 64}. In some embodiments, theremay be one TPC command value in each PDCCH repetition. For example, theTPC command value in each PDCCH repetition may be represented as δ,where, for example, δ may be any of {−3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3}. In someembodiments, the TPC command values in the L PDCCH repetitions may bethe same. In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive MPDCCH signals, where M is an integer and 1≤M≤L. In some embodiments, thepower of the transmission scheduled by the PDCCH repetitions may beadjusted by L*δ. In some embodiments, within the time duration, theremay be K PDCCH repetition candidates, where K is an integer and 1≤K≤L.In some embodiments, the power of the transmission scheduled by thePDCCH repetitions may be adjusted by K*δ.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of such embodiments. As shown in FIG. 5 ,in response to PDCCH repetitions being enabled, the network device 110may transmit a set of PDCCH repetitions (that is, repeated DCI) 510 and520 to the terminal device 120, for scheduling a transmission 530 (suchas, PUSCH/PUCCH/SRS/CSI transmission) from the terminal device 120 tothe network device 110. Each of the set of PDCCH repetitions 510 and 520may comprise a same TPC command for power control of the transmission530.

In some embodiments, prior to transmitting the set of PDCCH repetitions510 and 520, the network device 110 may transmit, to the terminal device120, an indication that PDCCH repetitions are enabled for scheduling thetransmission 530. For example, the indication may be transmitted fromthe network device 110 to the terminal device 120 via any of thefollowing: RRC signaling, MAC CE and DCI. Alternatively, in otherembodiments, the network device 110 may not transmit such explicitindication to the terminal device 120 in advance. Instead, the networkdevice 110 may indicate to the terminal device 120 via the set of PDCCHrepetitions 510 and 520 implicitly that PDCCH repetitions are enabledfor scheduling the transmission 530, as will be described in detailbelow with reference to FIGS. 8-11 . That is, in response to receivingthe DCI 510 and the DCI 520 from the network device 110, the terminaldevice 120 may determine whether the DCI 510 and the DCI 520 arerepeated DCI. In response to the terminal device 120 determining thatthe DCI 510 and the DCI 520 are repeated DCI, the terminal device 120may determine that PDCCH repetitions are enabled for scheduling thetransmission 530.

In some embodiments, in response to a PDCCH repetition of the PDCCHrepetitions 510 and 520 being received by the terminal device 120, theterminal device may extract the TPC command from the PDCCH repetition.Then, the terminal device 120 may perform the transmission 530 to thenetwork device 110 while controlling power of the transmission 530 basedon the extracted TPC command. That is, no accumulation of TPC commandvalues is needed, but only one TPC command value is to be used for powercontrol of the schedule uplink transmission.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 600 in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 600 can beperformed at the network device 110 as shown in FIG. 1 . It is to beunderstood that the method 600 may include additional blocks not shownand/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited in this regard.

At block 610, the network device 110 transmits, to the terminal device120, a set of repetitions of DCI for scheduling a transmission from theterminal device 120 to the network device 110, where each of the set ofrepetitions comprises a same TPC command for power control of thetransmission.

At block 620, the network device 110 decodes the transmission from theterminal device 120, where power of the transmission is controlled basedon the TPC command comprised in one of the set of repetitions.

In some embodiments, the network device 110 may decode the transmissionby decoding at least one of the following transmitted from the terminaldevice 120: data; uplink control information; a SRS; and CSI.

In some embodiments, prior to transmitting the set of repetitions of theDCI, the network device 110 may transmit, to the terminal device 120, anindication that repetitions of the DCI are enabled for scheduling thetransmission.

In some embodiments, the indication may be transmitted via any of thefollowing: RRC signaling; MAC CE; and DCI.

In some embodiments, the network device 110 may transmit, via the set ofrepetitions, an indication that repetitions of the DCI are enabled forscheduling the transmission.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 700 in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 700 can beperformed at the terminal device 120 as shown in FIG. 1 . It is to beunderstood that the method 700 may include additional blocks not shownand/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited in this regard.

At block 710, the terminal device 120 receives, from the network device110, a set of repetitions of DCI for scheduling a transmission from theterminal device 120 to the network device 110, where each of the set ofrepetitions comprises a same TPC command for power control of thetransmission.

In response to a repetition of the set of repetitions being received, atblock 720, the terminal device 120 extracts the TPC command from therepetition.

At block 730, the terminal device 120 performs the transmission to thenetwork device 110 while controlling power of the transmission based onthe extracted TPC command.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may perform thetransmission by transmitting, to the network device 110, at least one ofthe following: data; uplink control information; a SRS; and CSI.

In some embodiments, prior to receiving the set of repetitions of theDCI, the terminal device 120 may receive, from the network device 110,an indication that repetitions of the DCI are enabled for scheduling thetransmission.

In some embodiments, the indication may be received via any of thefollowing: RRC signaling; MAC CE; and DCI.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive, via the set ofrepetitions, an indication that repetitions of the DCI are enabled forscheduling the transmission.

In current 3GPP specifications, there is no detail on how a networkdevice (such as, the network device 110) indicates to a terminal device(such as, the terminal device 120) whether PDCCH repetitions are enabledor not for scheduling a communication between the network device and theterminal device. If the network device only can transmit such indication(that is, whether PDCCH repetitions are enabled or not) to the terminaldevice via higher layer signaling, it may be not flexible.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution to solve theabove problem and/or one or more of other potential problems. In thissolution, an indication on whether PDCCH repetitions are enabled or notcan be implicitly configured to the terminal device via the PDCCHrepetitions.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example process 800 for communication inaccordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The process800 may involve the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 asshown in FIG. 1 . It is to be understood that the process 800 mayinclude additional acts not shown and/or may omit some acts as shown,and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

As shown in FIG. 8 , in response to determining that PDCCH repetitionsare enabled for scheduling a communication between the network device110 and the terminal device 120, the network device 110 may incorporate810, in each of a set of PDCCH repetitions, information indicating thatPDCCH repetitions are enabled for scheduling the communication. In someembodiments, the incorporated information may also indicate at least oneof the following: an index of the set of repetitions and time offsetinformation about the communication. In some embodiments, theinformation may be incorporated in at least one bit of each PDCCHrepetition (that is, some unused fields in DCI). Alternatively, theinformation may be indicated by a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) maskapplied to CRC bits of each PDCCH repetition. The network device 110 maytransmit 820 the set of PDCCH repetitions to the terminal device 120.

The terminal device 120 may detect DCI transmitted 820 from the networkdevice 110. In response to first DCI and second DCI being detected bythe terminal device 120, the terminal device 120 may determine 830whether the first DCI and the second DCI belong to a same set of PDCCHrepetitions. In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may determine,based on at least one bit of the first DCI and the at least one bit ofthe second DCI, whether the first DCI and the second DCI are repeatedDCI. In response to determining that the first DCI and the second DCIare repeated DCI, the terminal device 120 may determine that the firstDCI and the second DCI belong to the same set of PDCCH repetitions.Alternatively, or in addition, in some embodiments, the terminal device120 may determine, based on a first CRC mask applied to CRC bits of thefirst DCI and a second CRC mask applied to CRC bits of the second DCI,whether the first DCI and the second DCI are repeated DCI. In responseto determining that the first DCI and the second DCI are repeated DCI,the terminal device 120 may determine that the first DCI and the secondDCI belong to the same set of PDCCH repetitions. Then, the communicationbetween the network device 110 and the terminal device 120 may beperformed 840 based on at least one of the set of PDCCH repetitions.

In some scenarios, PDCCH repetitions may be enabled for scheduling atransmission (such as, PDSCH/PUSCH/PUCCH/SRS/CSI transmission) due topoor channel quality. In this event, repetitions of the scheduledtransmission may also be needed. For example, if the PDCCH repetitionsare enabled for scheduling PDSCH repetitions (that is, PDSCHtransmissions related to same data or same TBs), the maximum number oftransmission layers may be limited, for example, to 2. In this event,the parameter maxNrofCodeWordsScheduledByDCI may be configured as 2 andthe second set of fields (a 5-bit filed indicating Modulation and CodeScheme, a 1-bit filed indicating New Data Indicator and a 2-bit fieldindicating Redundancy Version) for transport block 2 in DCI can bereused for indicating the above information.

In some embodiments, N bits in each PDCCH repetition (that is, DCI) canbe reused and/or additional N bits can be added to each PDCCH repetitionto indicate one or more of the following: whether a set of PDCCHrepetitions are enabled or not; an index of the set of repetitions;and/or time offset information about the communication scheduled by thePDCCH repetitions. For example, N is an integer and 1≤N≤8. Specifically,only one bit of the N bits may be used to indicate whether PDCCHrepetitions are enabled or not. For example, in some embodiments, if thebit is ‘0’, it may indicate that PDCCH repetitions are disabled; and ifthe bit is ‘1’, it may indicate that PDCCH repetitions are enabled.Alternatively, in other embodiments, if the bit is ‘1’, it may indicatethat PDCCH repetitions are disabled; and if the bit is ‘0’, it mayindicate that PDCCH repetitions are enabled.

In some embodiments, if the N bits in each PDCCH repetition (that is,DCI) are used to dynamically indicate the time offset information (suchas, slot/symbol offset) about the scheduled communication (such as,PDSCH/SRS transmission), other offset indications related to thescheduled communication can be omitted. For example, if the PDCCHrepetitions are used to schedule the PDSCH transmission(s), theslot/symbol offset indicated via the time resource allocation for thePDSCH transmission(s) can be omitted. For another example, if the PDCCHrepetitions are used to schedule the SRS transmission, the slot offsetindicated in the SRS request can be omitted. In some embodiments, theoffset value indicated by the N bits in each PDCCH repetition may be anon-negative integer. For example, it may be any of {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6, 7, 8 . . . 64}. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the offset valueindicated by the N bits in each PDCCH repetition may be a integer. Forexample, it may be any of {−8, −7, −6, −5, −4, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8 . . . 64}.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, CRC bits of DCI may be scrambledwith a CRC mask. The CRC mask applied to CRC bits of the DCI can be usedto indicate whether PDCCH repetitions are enabled or not. For example,in some embodiments, if the terminal device 120 receives the first DCIand the second DCI and determines that their CRC bits are scrambled witha same CRC mask indicating that PDCCH repetitions are enabled, theterminal device 120 may determine that the first DCI and the second DCIbelong to a same set of PDCCH repetitions. Then the terminal device 120may decode only one of the first DCI and the second DCI and apply onlyone set of decoded configurations (such as, time/frequency resourceallocation, TPC command and the like). Alternatively, or in addition, insome embodiments, if the terminal device 120 receives the first DCI andthe second DCI and determines that their CRC bits are scrambled with asame CRC mask indicating that PDCCH repetitions are enabled, theterminal device 120 may determine that the first DCI and the second DCIbelong to a same set of PDCCH repetitions. Then the terminal device 120may decode only one of the first DCI and the second DCI, and extract theincorporated information from the second set of fields (the 5-bit filedindicating Modulation and Code Scheme, the 1-bit filed indicating NewData Indicator and the 2-bit field indicating Redundancy Version) fortransport block 2 in the decoded DCI. For example, the terminal device120 may determine, from the extracted information, at least one of thefollowing: index of the set of repetitions and/or time offsetinformation about the communication scheduled by the PDCCH repetitions.In some embodiments, if the terminal device 120 receives and/orsuccessfully decodes the first DCI with the CRC bits scrambled with aCRC mask, and if the terminal device 120 then receives the second DCIand detects that the CRC bits of the second DCI is scrambled with thesame CRC mask, the terminal device 120 may ignore the second DCI.

Alternatively, or in addition, in some embodiments, a specific RadioNetwork Temporary Identity (RNTI) can be applied to PDCCH repetitions.In some embodiments, if the terminal device 120 receives and/orsuccessfully decodes the first DCI scrambled with an RNTI value, and ifthe terminal device 120 then receives the second DCI and detects thatthe second DCI is scrambled with the same RNTI value, the terminaldevice 120 may ignore the second DCI.

In some embodiments, CRC attachment can be specified as below. Afterattachment, the CRC parity bits are scrambled with the correspondingRNTI x_(rnti,0), x_(rnti,1), . . . , x_(rnti,15), where x_(rnti,0)corresponds to the MSB of the RNTI, to form the sequence of bits c₀, c₁,c₂, c₃, c_(K-1). The relation between c_(k) and b_(k) is: c_(k)=b_(k)for k=0, 1, 2, . . . , A+7; and c_(k)=(b_(k)+x_(rnti,k-A-8)) mod 2 fork=A+8, A+9, A+10, . . . , A+23.

In some embodiments, the above specification regarding the CRCattachment can be updated as below. After attachment, the CRC paritybits are scrambled with the corresponding RNTI x_(rnti,0), x_(rnti,1), .. . , x_(rnti,15) and PDCCH repetition mask x_(re,0), x_(re,1),x_(re,15), where x_(rnti,0) corresponds to the MSB of the RNTI, to formthe sequence of bits c₀, c₁, c₂, c₃, . . . , c_(K-1). The relationbetween c_(k) and b_(k) is: c_(k)=b_(k) for k=0, 1, 2, . . . , A+7; andc_(k)=(b_(k)+x_(rnti,k-A-8)+x_(re,k-A-8)) mod 2 for k=A+8, A+9, A+10, .. . , A+23.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 900 in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 900 can beperformed at the network device 110 as shown in FIG. 1 . It is to beunderstood that the method 900 may include additional blocks not shownand/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited in this regard.

At block 910, in response to determining that repetitions of DCI areenabled for scheduling a communication between the network device 110and the terminal device 120, the network device 110 incorporates, ineach of a set of repetitions of the DCI, information indicating thatrepetitions of the DCI are enabled for scheduling the communication.

In some embodiments, the information may further indicate at least oneof the following: an index of the set of repetitions and time offsetinformation about the communication.

In some embodiments, the network device 110 may incorporate theinformation in at least one bit of each of the set of repetitions.

In some embodiments, the network device 110 may indicate the informationby a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) mask applied to CRC bits of each ofthe set of repetitions.

At block 920, the network device 110 transmits, to the terminal device120, the set of repetitions of the DCI.

At block 930, the network device 110 performs the communication with theterminal device 120 based on the set of repetitions of the DCI.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of an example method 1000 in accordancewith some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1000 can beperformed at the terminal device 120 as shown in FIG. 1 . It is to beunderstood that the method 1000 may include additional blocks not shownand/or may omit some blocks as shown, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited in this regard.

At block 1010, the terminal device 120 detects DCI from the networkdevice 110 for scheduling a communication between the network device 110and the terminal device 120.

In response to first DCI and second DCI from the network device beingdetected, at block 1020, the terminal device 120 determines whether thefirst DCI and the second DCI belong to a set of repetitions for a samephysical control channel.

In some embodiments, determining whether the first DCI and the secondDCI belong to the set of repetitions for the same physical controlchannel comprises: determining, based on at least one bit of the firstDCI and the at least one bit of the second DCI, whether the first DCIand the second DCI are repeated DCI; and in response to determining thatthe first DCI and the second DCI are repeated DCI, determining that thefirst DCI and the second DCI belong to the set of repetitions for thesame physical control channel.

In some embodiments, determining whether the first DCI and the secondDCI belong to the set of repetitions for the same physical controlchannel comprises: determining, based on a first CRC mask applied to CRCbits of the first DCI and a second CRC mask applied to CRC bits of thesecond DCI, whether the first DCI and the second DCI are repeated DCI;and in response to determining that the first DCI and the second DCI arerepeated DCI, determining that the first DCI and the second DCI belongto the set of repetitions for the same physical control channel.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may further determine, fromthe first or second DCI, at least one of the following: an index of theset of repetitions and time offset information about the communication.

In response to determining that the first DCI and the second DCI belongto the set of repetitions for the same physical control channel, atblock 1030, the terminal device 120 performs the communication with thenetwork device 110 based on at least one of the set of repetitions.

FIG. 11 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1100 that is suitablefor implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1100can be considered as a further example implementation of the networkdevice 110 or the terminal device 120 as shown in FIG. 1 . Accordingly,the device 1100 can be implemented at or as at least a part of thenetwork device 110 or the terminal device 120.

As shown, the device 1100 includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120coupled to the processor 1110, a suitable transmitter (TX) and receiver(RX) 1140 coupled to the processor 1110, and a communication interfacecoupled to the TX/RX 1140. The memory 1110 stores at least a part of aprogram 1130. The TX/RX 1140 is for bidirectional communications. TheTX/RX 1140 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication, thoughin practice an Access Node mentioned in this application may haveseveral ones. The communication interface may represent any interfacethat is necessary for communication with other network elements, such asX2 interface for bidirectional communications between eNBs, S1 interfacefor communication between a Mobility Management Entity (MME)/ServingGateway (S-GW) and the eNB, Un interface for communication between theeNB and a relay node (RN), or Uu interface for communication between theeNB and a terminal device.

The program 1130 is assumed to include program instructions that, whenexecuted by the associated processor 1110, enable the device 1100 tooperate in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure, asdiscussed herein with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 . The embodimentsherein may be implemented by computer software executable by theprocessor 1110 of the device 1100, or by hardware, or by a combinationof software and hardware. The processor 1110 may be configured toimplement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, acombination of the processor 1110 and memory 1120 may form processingmeans 1150 adapted to implement various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

The memory 1120 may be of any type suitable to the local technicalnetwork and may be implemented using any suitable data storagetechnology, such as a non-transitory computer readable storage medium,semiconductor based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems,optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory,as non-limiting examples. While only one memory 1120 is shown in thedevice 1100, there may be several physically distinct memory modules inthe device 1100. The processor 1110 may be of any type suitable to thelocal technical network, and may include one or more of general purposecomputers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signalprocessors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processorarchitecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 1100 may havemultiple processors, such as an application specific integrated circuitchip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes the mainprocessor.

Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may beimplemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic orany combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware,while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which maybe executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device.While various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure areillustrated and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using someother pictorial representation, it will be appreciated that the blocks,apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may beimplemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware,special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware orcontroller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer programproduct tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer readable storagemedium. The computer program product includes computer-executableinstructions, such as those included in program modules, being executedin a device on a target real or virtual processor, to carry out theprocess or method as described above with reference to FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 ,FIG. 6 , FIG. 7 , FIG. 9 and/or FIG. 10 . Generally, program modulesinclude routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components,data structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implementparticular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modulesmay be combined or split between program modules as desired in variousembodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may beexecuted within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device,program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Program code for carrying out methods of the present disclosure may bewritten in any combination of one or more programming languages. Theseprogram codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a generalpurpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by theprocessor or controller, cause the functions/operations specified in theflowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code mayexecute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machineor entirely on the remote machine or server.

The above program code may be embodied on a machine readable medium,which may be any tangible medium that may contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device. The machine readable medium may be a machinereadable signal medium or a machine readable storage medium. A machinereadable medium may include but not limited to an electronic, magnetic,optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus,or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specificexamples of the machine readable storage medium would include anelectrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computerdiskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory(CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or anysuitable combination of the foregoing.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, thisshould not be understood as requiring that such operations be performedin the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that allillustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Incertain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may beadvantageous. Likewise, while several specific implementation detailsare contained in the above discussions, these should not be construed aslimitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather asdescriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments.Certain features that are described in the context of separateembodiments may also be implemented in combination in a singleembodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in thecontext of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multipleembodiments separately or in any suitable sub-combination.

Although the present disclosure has been described in language specificto structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to beunderstood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims isnot necessarily limited to the specific features or acts describedabove. Rather, the specific features and acts described above aredisclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

1-12. (canceled)
 13. A method of communication, comprising:transmitting, from a network device to a terminal device, a plurality ofPDCCH candidates, the PDCCH candidate corresponding to downlink controlinformation (DCI) for scheduling a transmission from the terminal deviceto the network device, wherein each of the plurality of PDCCH candidatescomprises a same transmission power control (TPC) command for powercontrol of the transmission; and decoding the transmission from theterminal device, wherein power of the transmission is controlled basedon the TPC command comprised in one of the plurality of PDCCHcandidates.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: prior totransmitting the set of repetitions of the DCI, transmitting, to theterminal device, an information related to repetitions of the PDCCH. 15.The method of claim 14, wherein the indication is transmitted via RadioResource Control (RRC) signaling. 16-17. (canceled)
 18. A method ofcommunication, comprising: receiving, at a terminal device and from anetwork device, a plurality of PDCCH candidates, the PDCCH candidatecorresponding to downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling atransmission from the terminal device to the network device, whereineach of the plurality of PDCCH candidates comprises a same transmissionpower control (TPC) command for power control of the transmission;detecting, from the plurality of PDCCH candidates, the DCI with the TPCcommand; and controlling, based on the TPC command, power of thetransmission from the terminal device to the network device.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, further comprising: prior to receiving the set ofrepetitions of the DCI, receiving, from the network device, aninformation related to repetitions of the PDCCH.
 20. The method of claim19, wherein the indication is received via Radio Resource Control (RRC)signaling. 21-42. (canceled)
 43. A network device, comprising: at leastone memory having program instructions stored therein; at least oneprocessor configured to execute the program instructions, that whenexecuted performs a method comprising: transmitting, to a terminaldevice, a plurality of PDCCH candidates, the PDCCH candidatecorresponding to downlink control information (DCI) for scheduling atransmission from the terminal device to the network device, whereineach of the plurality of PDCCH candidates comprises a same transmissionpower control (TPC) command for power control of the transmission; anddecoding the transmission from the terminal device, wherein power of thetransmission is controlled based on the TPC command comprised in one ofthe plurality of PDCCH candidates.
 44. The network device of claim 43,wherein the method further comprises: prior to transmitting the set ofrepetitions of the DCI, transmitting, to the terminal device, aninformation related to repetition of the PDCCH.
 45. The network deviceof claim 44, wherein the indication is transmitted via Radio ResourceControl (RRC) signaling.
 46. A terminal device, comprising: at least onememory having program instructions stored therein; at least oneprocessor configured to execute the program instructions, that whenexecuted performs a method comprising: receiving, from a network device,a plurality of PDCCH candidates, the PDCCH candidate corresponding todownlink control information (DCI) for scheduling a transmission fromthe terminal device to the network device, wherein each of the pluralityof PDCCH candidates comprises a same transmission power control (TPC)command for power control of the transmission; detecting, from theplurality of PDCCH candidates, the DCI with the TPC command; andcontrolling, based on the TPC command, power of the transmission fromthe terminal device to the network device.
 47. The terminal device ofclaim 46, wherein the method further comprises: prior to receiving theset of repetitions of the DCI, receiving, from the network device, aninformation related to repetition of the PDCCH.
 48. The terminal deviceof claim 47, wherein the indication is received via Radio ResourceControl (RRC) signaling.